What comes to mind when you think of the world's worst place? While it is easy to complain about rural Wal-marts,
in its title, none of those places escalate the game from nuisance to immediate danger. All of them can be horrible, yes, but a threatened existence they do not pose.
The places on this list are the bad places. Some have run out of hope. Others have fought war for so long it is the new normal. Most are exceptionally dangerous and heartbreaking. And while none of them are fighting for write-ups by travel bloggers or inspiring travel with the
set, some of these locations may someday be on the travel map. After all, it was not long ago that current hot-spots like
would have made such a list.
10. Harare, ZimbabweRecently voted by the
Economist as the
world's worst city to live in, Harare is a unique study in failed fiscal policy. The once acceptable city fell into disrepair during Zimbabwe's severe bouts with
hyperinflation and corruption. The troubles began in the early 21st century when Zimbabwe's inflation rate increased to 112.1%. Sounds terrible right? As it turns out, those were the sunny days. In 2008, the inflation rate peaked at 231,150,000% per annum. In U.S. terms, this means that if you deposited $10,000, it would be worth about 4 thousandths of a U.S. cent in one years time. That sucks. (For the record, 10,000USD = 46.720 quadrillion Zimbabwe dollars in 2009.)
This sort of economic arrangement allowed Harare to fail. There are not enough printers in Zimbabwe to print enough of its Z100 Billion notes, and when a loaf of bread costs trillions, doom is soon to follow. Unemployment grew to 80% and many services faltered. Today, foreign currencies have been adopted but the damage has been done. Much of Harare is in disrepair, and few foreign companies care to directly invest in the troubled city. That said, it is probably the safest place on this list to visit with flights direct from
London on the national carrier -
Air Zimbabwe.
9. Port Moresby, Papua New GuineaThe lone entry from Oceania is the ultra-diverse Port Moresby of
Papua New Guinea. PNG is home to over
820 languages - more than any other country in the world. As such, its capital Port Moresby boasts a diverse crew of opportunists and island cultures. It was recently voted by the Economist as the 137th out of 140 places in the livable cities index, making it a tough place to get by.
Rapes, Murders, and HIV are just a few of the daily tragedies that befall this enclave at the edge of the map. Here, even riding in cars is a dangerous activity. Gangs called
Raskols are known to rob vehicles transporting foreigners at gunpoint.
Port Moresby is best used as a temporary gateway to nearby dive sites and for flights to PNG's jungle interior and its
solitary treks. Reaching Port Moresby is easy from Australia on PNG's national carrier
Air Niugini.
8. Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo37 years ago, Ali and Foreman traded blows in one of
boxing's most historic matches. The match took place in Kinshasa. At the time, the country was known as Zaire, and the future looked hopeful for the mineral-rich nation. But as is common in 20th century African history, corruption at the top derailed the future. The country became a model for African
kleptocracyas
President Mobutu matched Zaire's national debt with deposits into his personal bank account in Switzerland - to a tune of 4 billion (1980) U.S. dollars. He was forced to flee in the late nineties.
By 1998, the Congo region was engaged in the
Second Congo War - the most deadly military conflict since World War II. In the end, over 5 million perished, and to this day the
mineral-rich country has a per capita (nominal) GDP of about $186.
Chinese foreign direct investment has allowed Kinshasa to grow into a more reasonable place over the last decade, though it is not yet ready for its tourist close-up. Violence and political instability still ravage the second most populated city in Africa. It has come a long way from the time of Mr. Kurtz, but the heart of Africa is still an exceptionally complicated place. Just a month ago during the
presidential election, thousands fled Kinshasa in anticipation of violence, and tanks rolled in to police the streets.
Tens of thousands of orphaned street children call the slums of Kinshasa home and are also routinely accused of witchcraft by locals. Carjackings are one of the more common types of tourist robbery, especially outside of the city center. And one more thing, photography is
illegal.Reaching Kinshasa is easy from
Paris on
Air France.
7. Rocinha favela, Rio de Janeiro, BrazilRocinha is the largest favela in Rio de Janeiro. While its infrastructure exceeds that of lesser favelas and its view of Rio is truly breathtaking, it is also home to several hundred thousand low income Brazilians packed onto a steep lawless hillside. It is a playground for modern day little
Li'l Zes.
With one of the highest murder rates in the world, Brazil has been cracking down on violence in anticipation of hosting both the Olympics and World Cup. In fact, local authorities have effectively declared war on this slum in an effort to clean it up and push out the drug cartels, and just a few months ago,
Rocinha was occupied by the military and police forces. Their aim is to restore government control in the sprawling favela. Until they do, staying out is advisable.
6. Sana'a, Yemen"Just off the horn of Africa..." is a common statement that generally precedes a story about modern piracy. And just on the other side of the dangerous
Gulf of Aden where such piracy goes down is treacherous Yemen - a land frozen in time.
It is a time machine to the modern edge of the Islamic dark ages. On one hand this brings old world Arabian architecture and cultures of antiquity, but on the other, it brings out Islamic fanaticism. It is a place of
child brides and a training ground for Al Qaeda. Men walk around freely with weapons per their religious rights, and these weapons range from the ubiquitous
Jambiya to battle-worn Kalashnikovs. Sana'a is old, dangerous, and has its share of political unrest. As a westerner, you can keep your travel plans safer by avoiding Yemen.
The tragic thing about Yemen is that it possesses such beautiful sights. It has unbelievable Red Sea
beaches,
Socotra Island (Similar to the Galapagos and on my own personal travel shortlist), and
old forts amid craggy mountains.
Reaching Sana'a, Yemen is possible from
Dubai, Doha, London, and Sharjah.
5. Monrovia, LiberiaClean water, electricity, basic services - all things we take for granted in the West. In Monrovia, a city named for
James Monroe, these are luxuries. West Point, a peninsular slum jutting out into the Atlantic, is home to a special breed of disgusting squalor. Home to 75,000 Monrovians, it is one of Africa's most notorious and crowded slums. Cholera is at an epidemic level, drug use is rampant, teenage prostitution is a commonality, and toilets are scarce. In fact, since it costs money to use neighborhood toilets, many Monrovians in West Point just crap in the streets or on the beach.
Vice did a
great series on Liberia a few years ago. In the series, they meet with with an ex-war leader known as
General Butt Naked - the commander of a group of child soldiers called the Butt Naked Brigade. He earned this name by charging into battle wearing only sneakers and his AK-47. Aside from sacrificing humans and
partaking in cannibalism, he also regularly communicated with the devil. Today, he is a minister.
Delta flies from Atlanta to Monrovia, Liberia.
4. Ciudad Juarez, MexicoJust as turbulence occurs where hot and cold air meet, similarly a point of human turbulence occurs in this nasty city where Mexico meets the United States. Drug violence, government incompetence, and poverty mix to form what has been called the
murder capital of the world(this dishonor has since been ceded to Honduras). As drug wars continue to rage, Juarez continues to be a dangerous place. The drug cartels continue to fight for one of the most valuable things in the world - access to the United States narcotics market.
Neighboring El Paso, oddly, has one of the lowest murder rates in the United States. In fact, among major cities,
El Paso is tied with Lincoln, Nebraska for having the lowest murder rate in the United States. It is indeed strange to have such a dichotomy separated by a river.
Flying to Juarez from a number of cities is easy, but don't do it. Go to Cancun and fist pump instead.
3. Cite Soleil, Port-au-Prince, HaitiTake one of the mast damned places on the planet, knock the hell out of it with an earthquake, and you get the worst of Haiti - Cite Soleil.
Port-au-Prince is generally a place of ephemeral hope and naked truths, and at its most rotten corner is this heartbreaking slum.
Cite Soleil is one of the largest slums in the northern hemisphere. It is a place where what you see is what you get, and what you see is abject third world poverty. The slum is void of sewers, schools, electricity, or healthcare facilities. It is the kind of place where relief workers are swallowed whole by the earth. In 2007, UN peacekeepers attempted to access the neighborhood and were welcomed with gunfire.
On top of this, many dangerous gang members escaped prison during the earthquake of 2010 and have returned to this crumbling slum. Reach PAP, Haiti from Miami on
Insel Air.
2. Kandahar, AfghanistanSurrounded by gorgeous mountains, it is a tragedy that
Kandahar is so awfully dangerous. A one time trading center and strategic foothold, Kandahar is a victim of its perfect location between the world's of East and West. It has been a point of interest since Alexander the Great stumbled upon it in the 4th century BC. For centuries, traders passed through this city when traveling between Asia and Europe. As result, wars have also passed through and control has changed hands over its centuries of existence, from Mongols to Arabs to Brits and beyond.
Kidnappings, suicide bombings, and other criminal activities have turned it into an absolute monster of a destination. War has a way of creating this sort of general lawlessness. Having a 28% national literacy rate does not help matters.
As a weird footnote, Kandahar has an Armani Hotel, though it is not licensed by Giorgio. Its TGI Fridays, once a bastion of Americana and cheese sticks in Afghanistan,
has allegedly been shut down. One can reach Kandahar from
Dubai on
Ariana Afghan Airlines. During Taliban rule, Osama bin Laden
used this airline for Al Qaeda operations including the smuggling of guns, money, and opium. Today, sanctions have been lifted against the troubled national carrier.
1. Mogadishu, SomaliaStill crazy after all these years, "Mog" has perhaps the most terrifying disclaimer (ever) hovering above its
entry on wikitravel. It states, "Mogadishu is regarded as
the most lawless and dangerous city on Earth and is currently experiencing a major food and refugee crisis. It is not safe for leisure or tourism. If you are planning a visit for international aid work, etc, you will need expert advice and planning."
Civil War has raged for decades, and the government controls only a few blocks of the city. It is a base for modern pirates, the backdrop for the true story surrounding
Black Hawk Down, and it is said that machine guns are frequently used by drivers to negotiate through car traffic. It is a land without law, a soulless place at the edge of Africa. Much of it bears more resemblance to the last level in an especially difficult video game than to life on Earth. It is more
modern warfare than modern world.
Oddly enough, several supermodels were born in Mogadishu including
Iman and Yasmin Warsame - a footnote of beauty for an ugly place. Flights to Mog can be booked on
Jubba Airways from
Jeddah and Dubai. Good luck with that. Seriously though, if you decide to go, be sure to wear a bulletproof vest and hire a small army of Ethiopian soldiers.
